The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0Review

It’s fairly common to hear about those thrust into the spotlight wishing for nothing more than to go back to their old lives. In comics, they usually get that chance for just long enough to taste relief before being thrown back into turmoil. The Fury of Firestorm spends Zero Month proving this corollary, and the style uses to do so makes it worth the trip.

Joe Harris’ story is born of a classic mold where awkward teenagers are tossed into battle against larger-than-life villains for little apparent reason. It’s a light, fun model that can be enjoyable, so long as readers have appropriately adjusted expectations. If, on the other hand, readers come in expecting tight dialog and a gritty aesthetic, there’s going to be some gnashing of teeth.

The look of the book is appropriate for Harris’ script, as Yildiray Cinar manages the two modes of the story ably. The after school sequences are subtle enough to let the character drama dominate, and they contrast nicely with the exaggeration of the fight scenes. I appreciate inker Marlo Alquiza’s attempts to heighten the tension with dramatic shadows; however, the efforts are not always necessary or even successful.

The key to enjoying this issue is not taking it too seriously. If you’re longing for the days when comics were fun jaunts into a world of fancy and you’ve got a few extra bucks in your pocket, give Fury of Firestorm a chance.